You think clearly worded questions lead to better answers? Our research suggests: not necessarily.
On June 18, Information Science Regensburg will take part in the iSchools Got Talent Series.
Our PhD candidate Melanie A. Kilian will present her work on dysfunctional information requests, recently published in the JASIST (external link, opens in a new window).
Talk Title:
Right Answers to Wrong Questions: The Dysfunctional Nature of Information Needs
Abstract:
Typos, blurry terms, missing details: Information systems, including search engines and chatbots, use query-repair strategies mainly to fix unclear user questions. This can be a problem. Imagine a query that is perfectly clear, well-worded, and seemingly reasonable - a query, such as "Where's the nearest Italian restaurant?" Now imagine that this perfectly clear query is based on a misconception; the asker misunderstands what they need to know. As an example: The person asking for the nearest Italian restaurant would like to enjoy a pizza mallorquina, which is actually a Spanish dish. The perfectly clear query will, however, likely produce a pinpoint answer from the system referring to the nearest Italian restaurant. Mission failed.
In a grounded-theory-interview study with airport information clerks, we discovered this phenomenon. Our findings show that perceived information needs can present a counterproductive basis for task support and invite you to rethink the emphasis on user requests in information systems design.
Event details: https://www.ischools.org/event-details/ischools-got-talent-2026-2026-06-18-13-00 (external link, opens in a new window)
Many thanks to iSchools Inc. (external link, opens in a new window) and Anika Meyer for organising the series.
JASIST article: https://doi.org/10.1002/asi.70010 (external link, opens in a new window)
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